Yosemite: Hetch Hetchy

The first order of business today was to get my new Kindle all set to read.  We got a bit of a late start and it was about 10:00 before we headed over to the restaurant. 

The first thing that became apparent when I turned on the computer was that the news of the hikers going over Vernal Falls had hit the national news! I almost posted something last night just in case, but I didn’t.  I do appreciate all the people who’d heard the news and checked in just to be sure!

Getting my new Kindle ready to read proved more challenging than I’d expected.  I’d thought I could just plug it in with the USB cord and go into “Manage My Kindle” in Amazon and just click to move stuff over.  Not the case.  I had to download the book, then locate the file on the computer, which wasn’t easy, and then drag it over to my Kindle.  I’m wondering if this isn’t a case for backing up my whole library in Calibre, so next time it will be easier.  The whole Kindle is a little off – the time is off and I can’t reset it, it says “My Kindle” instead of “Melissa’s Kindle”…I don’t know, but it’s got enough books on it for me to read until I can get it on a wireless network. 

After lunch we drove out to Hetch Hetchy.  Hetch Hetchy is a valley that some claim was a twin to the Yosemite Valley, that is until they dammed up the Tuolomne River to form a reservoir that became the water supply for the city of San Francisco! This decision devastated John Muir as Hetch Hetchy was one of his favorite places!

Hetch Hetchy is similar to the Yosemite Valley in that it has huge sheer rock cliffs forming the sides of the valley and there are 2 big waterfalls that you can see.  It is not nearly as awe inspiring though.  It is very dry and arid over there and the sun is intense! 

There are a few hiking trails, but the only one that is doable as a day hike goes to a big waterfall and it’s a 5 mile round trip hike.  The trail was very exposed and hot!  It wasn’t appealing to walk out there!  Also, the water is running high and a few weeks ago two doctors were hiking out there a got swept away while they were crossing a footbridge.  They weren’t being stupid or anything, just walking!

We didn’t spend a long time at Hetch Hetchy – we walked across the dam, read the displays and headed out.  I’m not sure I’m totally against using it as a reservoir – seems like it’s good thing!  They are working to protect the headwaters and the whole watershed and using the water for both power and drinking water. 

We found a forest service road to drive back on with the possibility of  a riverside hike.  The road wasn’t very interesting and the hike was near the river, but the river was still 100 feet below and it was very hot and exposed! 

On our way back to the campground we stopped at Rainbow Pools which is the local swimming hole. We didn’t actually go swimming because we didn’t have extra clothes or a towel.  I almost jumped in anyway because I love a good natural swimming hole and I was very hot!  In the end I just got my feet wet!  There were a lot of people there, but it wasn’t overly crowded! There were a lot of kids jumping off the rock cliffs and it was fun to watch them!

The good news is that we escaped all the crowds! We saw very few other people all day! :-) Of course we didn’t see much good stuff either!

On our way out to Hetch Hetchy we discovered a neat little place called the Evergreen Inn.  They had a bunch of cottages and a nice restaurant!  They also did guided day trips all around the Yosemite Valley!  Seems like a really neat place to stay! Maybe next time!

Tomorrow’s plan is to go in the Valley early so we can get a parking spot! Then Dad and I are going to rent bikes and ride around the valley and meet up with Mom for lunch. In the afternoon Mom’s going on a 4 hour bus tour to Glacier Point and Dad and I are going to a photography class with the Ansel Adams gallery!

Yosemite: Hetch Hetchy